01	Contrappunti						05:56
	02	Frutto Acerbo						03:34
	03	Aliante						03:20
	04	India						03:12
	05	La Fabbricante D'Angeli						04:47
	06	Notturno						03:51
	07	Maggio						08:50

Contrappunti
Philips (842 506-2)
Italy 1974

Toni Pagliuca, keyboards;
Aldo Tagliapietra, vocals, bass, guitar;
Michi di Rossi, drums, percussion;
Gian Piero Reverberi, piano

Tracklist:
1. Contrappunti - 5:56
2. Frutto Acerbo - 3:34
3. Aliante - 3:20
4. India - 3:12
5. La Fabricante d'Angeli - 4:47
6. Notturno - 3:51
7. Maggio - 8:50

total time 33:32

conrad

Le Orme have an ability to produce albums containing both progressive experimentation and incredibly catchy tunes that is equalled only by Yes. The title piece has an eerie keyboard melody which is given a counterpoint accompaniment (not surprisingly): "Contrappunti" runs the full gamut, from slow and brooding to manic, the focal point the whole time being Tony Pagliucca's keyboards. The second track, "Frutto Acerbo", is in contrast a model of simplicity. A simple guitar arpeggio provides the background for a beautiful vocal melody and an even simpler verse-chorus structure. They don't even bother with a bridge.
These two songs probably delineate the album's scope as well as any. There are some stunningly beautiful melodies on here, and the eerie organ sound makes more than one return. The highlight, however, is "La Fabbricante d'Angeli", which combines a progressive rock approach to song structure with an amazing melody. "Maggio" provides a fitting end to the album, with a showcase of all that is good about Le Orme: approachable melodies, atmosphere, a magnificent crescendo, and an utterly pointless synth solo.

The album is not without its less impressive moments, though. "Aliante" sounds like a song with only one good idea, which fumbles along before petering out to an unconvincing end. It's disappointing that a filler track such as this could have found its way on to an album that is only 33 minutes long. Taken as a whole, however, this is still a very impressive album. If it is not as good as Felona e Sorona, it is definitely in the same league, and these two albums, along with Uomo di Pezza, are generally agreed to be Le Orme's classic trilogy. All three albums are highly recommended.

4-9-03


bob

I'll admit it, I'm one of those ignorant Americans who files this album under "L". I also didn't really "get" this album until it had been in my collection for quite a while. Upon first discovering Italian prog, I went on a buying spree, and this album was obtained amongst a whole pack of other great albums. It didn't really distinguish itself after the first couple listens, so it ended up getting filed away and almost forgotten. Then, several months later I gave it a spin and was surprised to find that it's a better-than-average disc in the keyboard-dominated symphonic prog vein. There's more going on than a cursory listen reveals, which is probably why it didn't click with me at first. Most of the music is in layers, and sometimes it sounds like each member of the band is playing a different song, but it all fits together nicely.
Many of the compositions seem to be built in an almost mathematical fashion, with small blocks of music repeating over and over, while pretty melodies play over top. The most noticeable example of this is "Aliante", where a jerky stop-and-go rhythm is pounded out for all it's worth, with a swirling, catchy synth melody coming in to flow over the rhythm.

Some of the keyboard tones are a little harsh and cheesy sounding, but on the other hand they give the album a sometimes eerie vibe that offsets the more conventionally pretty sections. I wouldn't consider this to be one of the most essential CDs in my collection, but it's very nice for what it is, and usually seems to be over much sooner than I want it to be. I never did pick up any more Le Orme albums after this one, but haven't ruled out doing so in the future.

6-10-03





Le Orme - Contrappunti

Released: 1974 / 1999
Label: Phillips / Polygram International
Cat. No.: LP 6323035 / CD842506
Total Time: 33:30


Reviewed by: Tom Karr, April 2004
Le Orme have a long history and an extensive discography. They began as a psychedelic pop group in the sixties and have released albums over the span of five decades. They have covered more ground musically than many groups or artists you could name. Many fans of the band or Italian progressive rock would say, and most reviewers have said, that Le Orme's 1973 release Felona E Sorona represents their high water mark, and it is always referred to as their crowning achievement. Always one to disagree, I would say that Le Orme hit their stride and achieved their signature sound with 1974s Contrappunti. I, like most American fans of the group, started with Felona E Sorona, which I, sad to say, only acquired about five years ago. I was told that this was an Italian ELP, and being the literalist that I am, immediately bought this CD, and after one listen, decided to take no more advice from that person. I still say that Felona E Sorona, and most of Le Orme's music sounds very little like ELP. I must also say that I didn't immediately warm up to Le Orme, but I did, thankfully, purchase a few more of their CDs just to be sure that I wasn't missing out on something of musical importance. I am glad that I didn't dismiss them out of hand

Let me say that Le Orme write and perform a good deal of keyboard based prog. rock on Contrappunti, and that they have a bassist who handles the vocals and doubles on guitar, and that they augment their more complex compositions with more gentle, folky numbers featuring a more guitar based sound. Just like you-know-who. That is where the similarity ends, for the most part.

Le Orme are an "Italian" progressive band first and foremost, and as such, they bring their own unique and separate background to their music. Even in works such as the title cut "Contrappunti," the most typically "English" sounding of the tracks on this CD, they have a sound that is all their own, even when performing heavy complex, fugue like, Hammond organ based compositions.

About half of this classic release is made up of guitar based songs featuring the talents of bassist, guitarist, vocalist Aldo Tagliapierta. That leaves the rest, which are of course, more keyboard dominated works featuring the deft touch of Toni Pagliuca. The two are credited with co-writing the seven tracks on this album.

Despite occasional bursts of musical fury, this is a studied, mostly low key effort from a fine, and in my opinion, under appreciated group.

Of special note are the title cut "Contrappunti," a Hammond organ workout that I find myself listening to quite often, "La Fabbricante D'Angelo," and the final cut, "Maggio," a live favourite. All these lean toward keyboard dominance, and showcase Pagliuca, as well as Le Orme's drummer Michi Dei Rossi.

Contrappunti is not a release of self aggrandizing solos or displays of technique. They let the songs speak for themselves and leave plenty of room for the listeners to catch their breath and consider the beauty of the compositions. This is the work of confident, accomplished musicians, who have the strength and just plain good taste to put their individual egos second to the music itself. This is, I contend, one of the great aspects of Italian progressive rock music in general and Le Orme in particular.

This is a very good CD, and if you are not already a fan of Le Orme, I would recommend this as a good release to introduce yourself to what I would call one of the top progressive acts of the 1970s.

Rating: 4/5

More about Contrappunti:

Track Listing: Contrappunti (5:56) / Frutto Acerbo (3:34) / Aliante (3:20) / India (3:12) / La Fabbricante D' Angeli (4:47) / Notturno (3:51) / Maggio (8:50)

Musicians:
Toni Pagliuca - Keyboards
Aldo Tagliapierta - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Michi Dei Rossi - Drums, Percussion

Contact:

Website: www.leorme.org or www.le-orme.com
Note: will open new browser window

Email: leorme@le-orme.com

Discography

Ad Gloriam (1969)
L'Aurora Delle Orme (1970)
Collage (1971)
Uomo De Pezza (1972)
Felona E Sorona (1973)
Le Orme In Concerto (1974)
Contrappunti (1974)
Smogmagica (1975)
Beyond Leng (1975)
English version compilation
Verita' Nascoste (1976)
Canzone D'Amore (1976)
Storia O Leggenda (1977)
Le Orme Antologia 67-69 (1978)
Le Orme (1978)
Florian (1979)
Piccola Rapsodia Dell'ape (1980)
Venerdi' (1982)
Orme (1990)
Antologia 1970-80 (1993)
Il Fiume (1996)
Amico Di Ieri (1997)